Camping Trip
by the.ghost.writer.girl
Summary: Vikings and Dragons have been fighting again, Gobber's suggestion? A camping trip to put everyone's mind at ease!
1. Prologue

**A/N: Hey guys! This is a story my younger sister wrote for How to Train your dragon (she's slightly obsessed with it, but then again, I'm that way with Danny Phantom LOL). She's just slightly under the age limit so she asked if I would post it here for her. :) Please let her know what you think of her story by leaving your thoughts in the reviews section. **

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Hiccup couldn't help feeling worried as he approached the plaza where his father had called for a village meeting.

Fights had been breaking out at the drop of a hat these past few days, mostly between Viking and dragon.

Stoick had promised many people he would try to settle the petty disputes, but Hiccup was certain there wasn't a solution besides seven words: Build a bridge and get over it.

However, Stoick was absolutely positive nobody would be too pleased if he told them that, so he had turned to Gobber for advice.

Gobber had responded readily with a solution, and Stoick could've sworn he was joking. But no, Gobber was being serious.

And, come to think of it, it really hadn't been that bad of an idea, but Stoick knew the people of Berk would never agree.

Still, he felt he owed it to Gobber to at least propose the idea as a possibility.

So, as people trickled into the square in twos and threes, Stoick waited until he was certain everyone had arrived.

Then he cleared his throat loudly and began to speak. "I couldn't help noticing there has been some unpleasantness between the Vikings and the dragons these past few weeks."

Hiccup was standing beside the rest of the gang and he whispered to Astrid, "Don't tell me he's going to place another ban on the dragons..."

Astrid gave his hand a reassuring squeeze and smiled at him, but their attention was quickly recaptured by Stoick, who was continuing.

"Many of you seem dissatisfied with our new ways. For awhile there, it looked like dragons and humans really couldn't live together. But Gobber had an idea, even if it is a..." Stoick paused here and caught Gobber's eye in the crowd, trying to figure out how much criticism the man could take. "...A bit of an unusual idea, certainly not the normal way to settle things..."

"But...well, Gobber, you can tell them your idea..."

Gobber emerged from the crowd and hobbled up in front of the crowd and Stoick stood off to the side, watching but not interfering.

"Okay..." Gobber began pacing back and forth in front of the rapt audience. "I know what everyone is thinking...that we need a break from dragons, right?"

Plenty of people nodded, but Hiccup felt a spasm of horror. He thought he knew where this was going...

"Which is exactly why we should do the opposite!" Gobber said, flashing a smile that no one returned. "Instead of taking a break from dragons, we take a break from are several unclaimed islands in the area. We can camp out on them for two weeks! With our dragons alongside, of course," he added.

Everyone stared.

"A camping trip?" Hiccup repeated, thunderstruck. "He thinks a camping trip will help us?"


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is chapter one of Camping Trip. Let me know what you think! :) **

Hiccup grabbed his bag on his way out the door, and sighed.

He was fiercely loyal to Gobber, yes, and had been quashing the rumors of the blacksmith's possible insanity with increasing impatience all week.

But he had to admit...a camping trip? Toothless stood by the door, waiting for Hiccup to come out with him.

Boy and dragon walked out of the house together and to the take-off point.

Astrid was waiting for them there, and greeted Hiccup with obvious disgust for the whole expedition.

She mumbled in a blatantly grumpy undertone, "This is even stupider than that time when Gobber went out to slay the Boneknapper. This is even stupider than that story of the hammerhead yak bursting out of a fiery volcano he told us about. This is even worse than both of those combined."

"Shut up," Hiccup said from the corner of his mouth. "He means well, you know that."

Ruffnut and Tuffnut wandered over, followed by Barf and Belch, their quarrelsome Zippleback dragon.

"This is crazy," Tuffnut said bitterly.

"Crazier than the Boneknapper stunt he pulled six months ago," Ruffnut replied.

Stoick, already settled on another dragon, gave the signal for everyone to mount and take off.

Ruffnut and Tuffnut leapt onto Barf and Belch and Astrid departed to go get on Stormfly, leaving Hiccup to climb on top of Toothless.

The dragons rose slowly into the air, as one, and began flying toward the island they'd planned to spend the week on ahead of time.

It took short time for them to reach it.

When they landed, the people began dismounting and putting away the riding gear Hiccup had made (after Gobber's disastrous attempt).

Speaking of Gobber, he seemed to be the only one who was showing any true enthusiasm for the trip.

Even Stoick appeared to be having second thoughts, while most others (Hiccup included) had no need to be. They had bypassed the phrase 'second thoughts' and moved onto 'escape plan' right about the time Gobber had revealed the idea.

"Okay!" Stoick hollered. "Each tent has enough room for at least two Vikings! Pitch your tents, then remember to check in with Gobber for your tent mates. Remember, your tent mate will be your partner in any activities performed here, at this camp."

Hiccup was a bit worried that if any of the other Vikings got anywhere near Gobber, they'd start using weapons.

And Gobber only had an arm and a leg left to lose.

They all began pitching the tents. Within seconds, the tents were up.

Well, everyone's except for Hiccup's, who had an unpleasant surprise in store for him: He was terrible at pitching tents.

After a few minutes of watching Hiccup struggle, Astrid took pity and helped him, and they went back to Gobber for their tent mates.

There were still quite a few people there, but it wasn't long before Gobber reached the two. "Okay...Astrid, you'll be with Ruffnut Thorston..."

"And, Hiccup, you're with Snotface Snotlout."

Hiccup sighed at the idea of having to spend the next two weeks practically attached to the hip with Snotlout. The idea was not a particularly pleasant one.

This was going to be the longest two weeks of his life.


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey readers! Thanks for reading my story and reviewing it. It really means a lot to see/hear what people think of it. :) Sorry for taking so long with this chapter but I got some writer's block. :" It happens to all of us. Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy it! **

**Please review! :) **

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Hiccup awoke early the next morning, and looked over at Snotlout's bed.

The Viking's snoring could've been heard in the middle of a violent earthquake, and could possibly be mistaken for a falling building.

Rolling his eyes, Hiccup kicked back his covers, undid the tent's flap, and emerged.

The sun hadn't risen yet, so Hiccup sat down by the edge of the ocean to watch it rise.

He heard uneven footsteps and looked around to see Gobber walking toward him.

Gobber sat down next to the teenage boy, looking out over the horizon.

For awhile, they said nothing. Then, just as the first few rays of sun appeared faintly beyond the edge of the ocean, Gobber spoke. "I'm not sure this is such a good idea, Hiccup," he said.

Gobber had never been the brightest, and Hiccup hadn't expected him to catch on so soon.

"What gives you that idea?" he asked carefully. He wondered if Gobber had heard the mutinous mutterings that had started the moment the Vikings had begun to ready themselves for the trip.

Gobber began to twist his hook around nervously. "It's just that...when I looked at it, I thought getting away from Berk would do the trick. But I don't think it has."

Then, as Hiccup opened his mouth to reassure the man, Gobber began to speak again. "I mean, maybe it's just me, but nobody seems to like the trip...I think some of them might even be mad at me for coming up with the idea in the first place!"

Hiccup bit down hard on his tongue to keep himself from saying the one thousand sarcastic responses that had popped into his mind.

Instead he managed to say, "I'm...sure they'll get used to it."

"You think so?" Gobber asked hopefully.

Meanwhile, the sun had risen, and Vikings were emerging from their tents. They immidiately started eyeing Gobber with something incredibly similar to loathing.

Hiccup nodded as Astrid came over to the two.

Hiccup stood up and stretched, as Gobber wandered away, once again impervious to the hateful glares that came his way.

Almost a week gone, and the trip was proving to be worse than anyone had thought.

For one, Snotlout had nearly drowned by "borrowing" one of the Viking ships and striking out for Berk.

Stoick had to bodily pull him from the water, with Snotlout thrashing around crying, "Wait! Wait! Is that speck on the horizon home?!"

Gobber's sanity was still being questioned, Stoick was becoming more irritable by the hour, and Toothless appeared to be getting sick.

On this, Hiccup was not nearly as worried as perhaps he should've been, because he simplified Toothless' illness down to missing Berk and the surprising number of inedible things the dragon had eaten was finally catching up to him.

But a dragon's stomach was larger and stronger than a human's, so maybe the Night Fury would pull through and surprise him yet.

As for the trouble with Stoick, however, Hiccup wasn't entirely sure what to chalk that up to, but perhaps his father was finally realizing what a remarkably bad idea this had been.

Shortly after Snotlout either tried to sail back to Berk or drown himself (Hiccup wasn't sure which), the two were sitting in their tent when he asked Hiccup what he thought was the best method of escape.

Hiccup firmly told him if his luck had been that bad the first time, he better not try again.

Snotlout went on to ask if Hiccup was a strong swimmer, at which point the boy lost patience with the other and exited the tent.

Hiccup pushed open the flap of his tent and took a deep lungful of fresh air, the moonlight making the water glimmer.

He glanced worriedly over at Toothless, then walked down to sit beside him, before hearing footsteps that caused him to look up.

Mildew stood there, arms crossed. He could not have looked more unhappy if he had tried.

Hiccup stood up. "What do you want?" His voice came out sounding slightly sharper than he'd intended, but he did nothing to change this.

"Just taking a little stroll around the island," Mildew replied innocently.

Hiccup cocked an eyebrow in disbelief, letting the man know he was having none of it.

Hiccup and Mildew had been raging an unseen war ever since Mildew had tried to frame the dragons for numerous crimes on Berk and thus get them kicked out.

It had nearly worked, and, though Hiccup no longer had any evidence (but oh, how he wished he did), he would never let himself forgive or forget. At least not in this situation.

"And checking on poor Toothless, of course," the old man added hurriedly.

Hiccup backed up to be beside his dragon in an instant. "And why would you want to check on Toothless?"

"Why, he's sick of course," Mildew told the boy.

"How would you know?" Hiccup realized how aggressive he must sound, but he didn't try to change his tone in the slightest.

"Look at the poor beast," Mildew said in a tone of what Hiccup guessed must be the Viking's attempt at concern, but came out sounding suspiciously like delight. "He doesn't look very well to me, now does he?"

"He's fine," Hiccup replied automatically, but, glancing around at his dragon, he saw this was not, exactly, true.

The Night Fury looked as though he were in a great deal of pain, so Hiccup quickly changed his answer.

"He'll be fine," he tacked on at the end. It sounded very pathetic.

Mildew pulled a short, sharp dagger out of his belt and gently fingered the blade. "That crackpot old blacksmith," he hissed. "Convincing that chief to make us all come out here, away from Berk. To this deserted island.

Where anything could happen."

Hiccup awoke early the next morning, and looked over at Snotlout's bed.

The Viking's snoring could've been heard in the middle of a violent earthquake, and could possibly be mistaken for a falling building.

Rolling his eyes, Hiccup kicked back his covers, undid the tent's flap, and emerged.

The sun hadn't risen yet, so Hiccup sat down by the edge of the ocean to watch it rise.

He heard uneven footsteps and looked around to see Gobber walking toward him.

Gobber sat down next to the teenage boy, looking out over the horizon.

For awhile, they said nothing. Then, just as the first few rays of sun appeared faintly beyond the edge of the ocean, Gobber spoke. "I'm not sure this is such a good idea, Hiccup," he said.

Gobber had never been the brightest, and Hiccup hadn't expected him to catch on so soon.

"What gives you that idea?" he asked carefully. He wondered if Gobber had heard the mutinous mutterings that had started the moment the Vikings had begun to ready themselves for the trip.

Gobber began to twist his hook around nervously. "It's just that...when I looked at it, I thought getting away from Berk would do the trick. But I don't think it has."

Then, as Hiccup opened his mouth to reassure the man, Gobber began to speak again. "I mean, maybe it's just me, but nobody seems to like the trip...I think some of them might even be mad at me for coming up with the idea in the first place!"

Hiccup bit down hard on his tongue to keep himself from saying the one thousand sarcastic responses that had popped into his mind.

Instead he managed to say, "I'm...sure they'll get used to it."

"You think so?" Gobber asked hopefully.

Meanwhile, the sun had risen, and Vikings were emerging from their tents. They immidiately started eyeing Gobber with something incredibly similar to loathing.

Hiccup nodded as Astrid came over to the two.

Hiccup stood up and stretched, as Gobber wandered away, once again impervious to the hateful glares that came his way.

Almost a week gone, and the trip was proving to be worse than anyone had thought.

For one, Snotlout had nearly drowned by "borrowing" one of the Viking ships and striking out for Berk.

Stoick had to bodily pull him from the water, with Snotlout thrashing around crying, "Wait! Wait! Is that speck on the horizon home?!"

Gobber's sanity was still being questioned, Stoick was becoming more irritable by the hour, and Toothless appeared to be getting sick.

On this, Hiccup was not nearly as worried as perhaps he should've been, because he simplified Toothless' illness down to missing Berk and the surprising number of inedible things the dragon had eaten was finally catching up to him.

But a dragon's stomach was larger and stronger than a human's, so maybe the Night Fury would pull through and surprise him yet.

As for the trouble with Stoick, however, Hiccup wasn't entirely sure what to chalk that up to, but perhaps his father was finally realizing what a remarkably bad idea this had been.

Shortly after Snotlout either tried to sail back to Berk or drown himself (Hiccup wasn't sure which), the two were sitting in their tent when he asked Hiccup what he thought was the best method of escape.

Hiccup firmly told him if his luck had been that bad the first time, he better not try again.

Snotlout went on to ask if Hiccup was a strong swimmer, at which point the boy lost patience with the other and exited the tent.

Hiccup pushed open the flap of his tent and took a deep lungful of fresh air, the moonlight making the water glimmer.

He glanced worriedly over at Toothless, then walked down to sit beside him, before hearing footsteps that caused him to look up.

Mildew stood there, arms crossed. He could not have looked more unhappy if he had tried.

Hiccup stood up. "What do you want?" His voice came out sounding slightly sharper than he'd intended, but he did nothing to change this.

"Just taking a little stroll around the island," Mildew replied innocently.

Hiccup cocked an eyebrow in disbelief, letting the man know he was having none of it.

Hiccup and Mildew had been raging an unseen war ever since Mildew had tried to frame the dragons for numerous crimes on Berk and thus get them kicked out.

It had nearly worked, and, though Hiccup no longer had any evidence (but oh, how he wished he did), he would never let himself forgive or forget. At least not in this situation.

"And checking on poor Toothless, of course," the old man added hurriedly.

Hiccup backed up to be beside his dragon in an instant. "And why would you want to check on Toothless?"

"Why, he's sick of course," Mildew told the boy.

"How would you know?" Hiccup realized how aggressive he must sound, but he didn't try to change his tone in the slightest.

"Look at the poor beast," Mildew said in a tone of what Hiccup guessed must be the Viking's attempt at concern, but came out sounding suspiciously like delight. "He doesn't look very well to me, now does he?"

"He's fine," Hiccup replied automatically, but, glancing around at his dragon, he saw this was not, exactly, true.

The Night Fury looked as though he were in a great deal of pain, so Hiccup quickly changed his answer.

"He'll be fine," he tacked on at the end. It sounded very pathetic.

Mildew pulled a short, sharp dagger out of his belt and gently fingered the blade. "That crackpot old blacksmith," he hissed. "Convincing that chief to make us all come out here, away from Berk. To this deserted island.

Where anything could happen."


	4. Chapter 3

"Are you threatening him?" Hiccup demanded, arms crossed.

Mildew laughed. "Why would I need to threaten your pitiful little reptile? After all, it seems you never know when a threat actually has something to back it up." The last few words were muttered from between gritted teeth.

Before Hiccup could respond, Stoick approached the pair. "Mildew! Stop spouting your two cents worth and get over here! I've got a job for you!"

Mildew glanced angrily back at Hiccup, then began walking toward Stoick.

Hiccup threw himself down on the sand next to Toothless and Stoick lingered for a second, eyes raking over boy and dragon.

"Is Toothless..."

"He's fine," Hiccup replied, struggling to keep the anger out of his voice. Whatever Mildew did wasn't his father's fault.

Stoick stood there awkwardly for another minute, and Hiccup kept silent, too, a clear invitation for the chief to take a hike.

After a few seconds, Stoick began to walk away.

The next day, Hiccup awoke with a pounding headache. He considered going back to sleep, but then sat back up, the events of last night coursing through his mind.

What had Mildew meant when he'd said all that stuff about 'where anything can happen'?

The more logical part of him argued that it was nothing, but his instincts screamed not to trust Mildew.

No duh, he thought, crawling out of his bed.

When he got out of his tent, he saw Toothless was already awake, biting and clawing at his wings.

"Hey, wait! Toothless! Stop!" Hiccup cried, running towards him.

The dragon relaxed, looking miserable.

Hiccup rested a comforting hand on the edge of the dragon's long black wing, but before he could speak, Toothless roared, reaching for his wings with his teeth and talons again.

And as he did, Hiccup thought he spotted something underneath Toothless' wing. "Wait! Toothless!"

The dragon stilled obediently.

"Lift up your wing," Hiccup said gently.

The dragon gave a snort of disbelief.

"Toothless," Hiccup said, and Toothless slowly lifted up his left wing, to reveal a truly awful sight.

His wing concealed a thin, deep gash, dried blood coating the edges.

Hiccup stared for a second, then gently stroked the dragon's hurt wing. "Who did this to you?" he whispered, for the cut had been made too cleanly for accident.

Toothless, of course, did not respond verbally to Hiccup's question, but his tail flicked and his eyes lowered: A sure sign of danger.

"Toothless, I'm gonna need to clean that," the boy said calmly. "You stay here while I get some water, ok? Stay here." Hiccup walked away, only to return a few minutes later with a bucket of water and washcloth.

He gently pressed the cloth into the dragon's side, and, though he roared angrily, Toothless allowed Hiccup to wet down the gash and inspect it.

Afterwards, Hiccup slowly began to stitch the wound, and, when finished, he gently took his hands away.

Toothless gingerly moved his wing and Hiccup whispered, "It's gonna be bad for awhile, buddy. It'll be okay."

Toothless did not seem reassured by this news.

Hiccup heard footsteps behind him and turned.

Astrid flicked a piece of hair behind her ear and came up to stand beside him. "Toothless okay?"

"He'll be fine," Hiccup said, with a hint of bite in his voice.

Astrid ignored it. "What happened to him?"

Hiccup glanced at Astrid, and considered telling her...she would believe him, there was no doubt in his mind.

"I don't know," he replied.

The next day, Hiccup checked Toothless' side. He did not seem to be healing at all.

As a matter of fact, he seemed to be getting worse.

"What's wrong?" Hiccup mused to himself. "Did I do something wrong? You should be looking at least a little better, but you don't..."

Toothless glanced up at Hiccup. His wide, endless green eyes seemed to be trying to tell the boy something, but Hiccup remained clueless.

Mildew walked over to stand behind Hiccup.

"I did everything I could..." the boy mumbled, oblivious to his unwelcome visitor. Toothless, however, was not.

He sat straight up and growled, staring directly at Mildew.

Hiccup spun around and glared at the man as well.

Mildew clutched his staff. "Oh, what a poor beast. He doesn't seem to be doing well, not well at all..." For some reason, Mildew seemed overjoyed by this fact.

"He's doing fine," Hiccup replied. He had lost count of how many times he'd said that this past week.

Gobber walked up to the pair. "What's the crazy old bag of Berk have to say now?"

Mildew leaned heavily on his staff to take a step forward. It trembled and shook beneath his weight. "Maybe you should look at Toothless, Gobber. After all, you are the dragon doctor of Berk."

"Is something wrong with Toothless, Hiccup?" Gobber asked, completely distracted from insulting Mildew.

Hiccup glared at Mildew. Oh, yes, something was VERY wrong with Toothless, but until Mildew was ruled out of the suspect list, no way was Hiccup about to talk about this in front of him.

"No," Hiccup replied, giving Gobber a shut-up-we'll-talk-about-this-later look.

Gobber caught Hiccup's eye and got the message. "Oh...well..ok," he said awkwardly.

There was silence, and it was the first time Hiccup had ever seen Mildew with his mouth closed. It was a historic moment.

At last, Mildew ended the awkwardness by saying, "Well, Hiccup, maybe you should check on your dragon a little more often...he doesn't appear to be doing well..."

And, barely concealing a grin, the man departed the scene.

Hiccup found that, even though Mildew had left, he didn't feel much like talking, so he turned away to avoid conversation, pretending to check on Toothless.

Gobber stood hovering. "Um...Well...Hiccup, is Toothless really...I mean, ok?"

Hiccup turned around again to look Gobber straight in the eye. "No, he's not. Somebody hurt him."

Gobber looked dumbfounded. "What do you mean, Hiccup?"

The boy bit his lip, wondering how much to tell the man, before it all came spilling out: what Mildew had said last night, Toothless' injury, and Hiccup's suspicion of Mildew.

"Hiccup," Gobber began, obviously trying to be tactful, and Hiccup braced himself, for he knew the man was going to fail miserably, "Mildew has been the object of suspicion for years. Thinking he hurt your dragon is nothing new. Toothless probably hurt himself by flying into a tree or-"

"But Toothless wouldn't do that!" Hiccup argued, slamming a fist into his palm. "And Mildew framed the dragons, Gobber, you're forgetting-"

"No one has any proof of that," Gobber replied.

Hiccup drew back as though the man had smacked him. "You don't believe me?"

"No, I'm not trying to say I don't believe you, I'm trying to say people still doubt your opinion a lot of the time, and Hiccup, you gotta admit, it's hard to prove something with no proof-"

"So you don't believe me," Hiccup interrupted. He turned away again, facing out to sea.

"Hey," Gobber said, "now, Hiccup, I'm not saying that-"

But Gobber simply let his voice trail off into nothingness, and Hiccup didn't much know or care what the Viking had to say.

He didn't want to hear any more words of: "I believe you, it's just..." or, more so, "I'd really like to believe you, BUT-"

He'd had enough of that during the first fourteen years of his life. He didn't need it again.

There was silence from Gobber's end, but Hiccup sensed he was still there, like a hovering shadow.

Sure enough, uneven footsteps sounded on the sand as Gobber limped away.

Hiccup almost wanted to call after him, make everything okay again.

Gobber had acted like he BELIEVED Hiccup. Actually believed him.

And now his words echoed in the young boy's mind: "people still doubt your opinion...it's hard to prove something with no proof...Mildew's been the object of suspicion for years..."

"That's one thing he got right." Hiccup's whisper was carried away by the cry of seagulls and the moans from the slowly dying dragon behind him.


	5. Chapter 4

Hiccup walked back into his tent after awhile.

Once there, Snotlout took one look at him and said, "Dude. Who pissed in your bowl of Wheaties?"

Hiccup didn't reply.

He sank down on the edge of his bed, grabbed his notebook from off the floor, and started writing.

He closed the notebook after awhile and lay down, but not before he heard Snotlout, "Seriously, dude, who pissed in them? You look pretty aggressive."

Hiccup rolled over onto his other side, away from Snotlout. "I really don't want to talk about it."

The next morning, Hiccup awoke quickly and rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

Snotlout was already awake, which was weird.

The other teens seemed to relish their sleep, and didn't understand how Hiccup could spring up before noon every morning.

But Snotlout was sitting up in his bed, toying absently with his dagger.

Hiccup sat up and stretched, realizing he'd fallen asleep on top of his blanket.

Snotlout looked around when he realized the other boy was awake. "Hey."

Hiccup scooted to the edge of his bed, so the appeal of sleep wouldn't tempt him. "Hey. You're up early."

Snotlout nodded. "Yeah. Didn't think you were ever gonna wake up."

Hiccup stood and stifled a yawn behind his hand, smiling. "That's rich, coming from you."

"Going out to check on Toothless?" Snotlout asked as Hiccup neared the tent flap.

Hiccup stopped mid-stride. "Yeah...why?"

Snotlout shrugged. "I heard a rumor that he's sick."

Hiccup sighed. How many more times was he gonna have to go through this?

"He's fine," he replied, then walked out of the tent.

The tall, dark-haired Outcast stood at the front of the boat, looking out to sea and where the boy tended to his injured dragon.

"He seems to be going quickly, Chief," The Outcast assured his leader. "The boy won't be able to do anything for it in a few hours."

"A few hours is too long," Alvin the Treacherous sneered. "Don't underestimate that boy, Rakken. He could easily ruin everything in that time span."

Rakken nodded, eyes still fixed on the island. "When do we set sail for the Isle of Berk?"

Alvin didn't hesitate. "Tomorrow. At dawn."

Then he added, "But first...we have some unfinished business on that island there..."

Hiccup sat outside his tent with Toothless (who seemed to be getting more irate by the second) stroking the dragon's head and trying to puzzle out what was wrong when he heard a shout, "It wasn't my fault!"

Panicked.

Hiccup stood, cocked his head, listening, and began going towards the sound.

"Quiet!" came another voice, almost hissing. "This island is no longer deserted."

Hiccup edged closer to the noise. He was very near the area it had come from, now. The voices were getting louder.

When he looked around the corner, he almost wished he hadn't. He sank down, hoping not to be seen.

Alvin the Treacherous on their island? And what was he doing talking to-

"We set sail for Berk tomorrow, at dawn," he heard Alvin say. "We've wasted too much time here, anyway."

"Tomorrow?" the other man rasped. "But...I thought you said..."

"We've wasted too much time. The two weeks are nearly up, man. Use your head. If Stoick comes back while we're torching the place, it wouldn't look like the best thing in the world, would it?"

"I thought you were waiting for the next two days...I thought..."

"We're not waiting for that dragon to die," Alvin interjected. "You kill it. You've been begging to just get it over with for weeks, so you take care of it. Make it quick, and very, very clean. No fingerprints. No evidence, you got it?"

"But, that boy will know what I've done! He'll tell the village on me! You just wait, that Hiccup boy is no good, and he's going to know who killed his brute."

"You're not backing out now...are you?" Alvin's voice held a dangerous edge. "This is what we agreed on."

"When do I do it?" Mildew sounded almost excited now.

"Tonight. When everyone's asleep. Quick. And clean. Don't forget."


	6. Chapter 6

Hiccup fled the scene, tearing down the beach as fast as he could and not knowing he had been looking for his father until he'd stopped outside Stoick's tent.

He didn't even bother to announce his arrival; he just plowed right through the flap and into Stoick's tent.

Stoick didn't turn at the sounds, but Hiccup reached up and tapped him on the shoulder.

Stoick looked around, then his eyes rested on his son. "Hiccup? What do you want?"

"Dad..." Hiccup let his voice trail off for a second as he took a few deep breaths, a searing stitch in his side from running so fast and far.

"Dad, listen, Alvin is on the island, and he's-"

"Alvin?" barked Stoick. "Alvin the Treacherous?"

Hiccup swallowed, nodded once, then continued, talking at warp speed. "And he was talking to Mildew, they're planning to storm Berk, and Alvin wants Mildew to kill Toothless..."

"Slow down," Stoick cautioned. "What about Alvin?"

"He wants to storm Berk while we're away," Hiccup said, slowly enough to be coherent. "And Alvin wants Mildew...to kill Toothless."

There was silence.

Hiccup felt silly, now, for running to his father.

The chief wouldn't do anything without proof.

He won't even believe me without proof, Hiccup reminded himself bitterly, thinking of when he had tried to tell Stoick about Mildew framing the dragons.

The chief had not believed him then, and he certainly wouldn't believe Hiccup now.

Stoick blinked. "Um...okay...do you have any evidence of this?"

Hiccup nearly turned and walked right out of there. But he was not one to give into temper, so he stayed put. "No. I don't."

"Ah," Stoick replied uncomfortably.

"You don't believe me, do you?" Hiccup asked, trying hard not to sound bitter.

"No...it's not that-"

"No, Dad, just save your breath," Hiccup replied. Strangely, he didn't feel angry. Just...resigned. And very, very disappointed. He had known it was going to happen, that Stoick would never believe him without proof, but still, he felt a fresh wave of hopelessness pass over him.

Then he turned and ran from the tent, in search of someone who would believe him.

Gathered in Hiccup's tent, Snotlout, Astrid, Fishlegs, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, and, of course, Hiccup, sat in a circle on the orange canvas floor.

"Okay," Fishlegs said, "now what exactly did Alvin say about Berk?"

"'If Stoick comes back while we're torching the place, that wouldn't look like the best thing in the world, would it?'" Hiccup quoted quietly.

They lapsed into silence again.

"Hey!" Snotlout exclaimed. "We could start up the Dragons United Monitoring Brigade again, and...and-" His voice faltered, then stuttered to a complete halt at the looks on the other teens' faces.

"And what purpose would that serve?" Astrid asked.

Snotlout shrugged. "It'd give us a chance to be together," he replied flirtatiously, then scooted noticeably closer. "You know...alone...at night...monitoring drag-"

Astrid elbowed him hard in the gut, cutting him off and causing him to double over.

"The Brigade wouldn't help us in this case," Hiccup replied, and everyone turned to look at him.

He got lost in thought again, and when he came out of his reverie, it was to find the other teens still staring at him.

He blinked. "What?"

"Well...you're always the man with the plan," Astrid pointed out. "Don't you have any ideas?"

"No," Hiccup replied shortly. His tone changed from impatient to noticeably sarcastic. "It's not like I could use any, now, though. Not with Alvin planning to burn down Berk, or anything."

"And kill your dragon," Fishlegs added helpfully.

"I'd be lost without you," Hiccup replied sarcastically. "I completely forgot that part."

Fishlegs lapsed into mumbling something like, "How could you forget that?"

Hiccup resisted the urge to find a good brick wall to beat his head against.

He needed both an idea and an outlet for his sarcasm.

Astrid glanced over at him, sensing his frustration. "Any ideas where Alvin might have gone?"

"Back to the Outcast Lands, I suppose," Hiccup replied miserably. "He's leaving for Berk tomorrow. At dawn, he said."

"That doesn't give us much time," Fishlegs said worriedly.

"We know that," Astrid replied, giving Fishlegs a shut-up-now look.

Hiccup sighed, dropping his head into his hands.

The rest of the teens all stared at each other, Hiccup, the floor, or the ceiling.

Hiccup looked up and said, "The only thing I can think of is if we go after Alvin ourselves."

Ruffnut rolled her eyes. "Smart."

"Not to be Norbert the Negative," Fishlegs interjected tentatively, "but what can six teenagers do against Alvin and his whole army?"

Hiccup looked at them all, Astrid and Snotlout on either side of him, Ruffnut and Tuffnut diagonally across, Fishlegs directly across from him. "I don't know about you, but I couldn't live with myself if I let Alvin take Berk."

The other teens started nodding.

"Still, Hiccup, Fishlegs has a point," Astrid said. "I mean, we're only six people, and, no offense, but you can't exactly hold your own in a fight the way I or the twins could, and Fishlegs isn't the most talented with weapons, either."

"What about me?" Snotlout demanded.

"We'll leave you behind to stay with Toothless," the other five teens chorused at once.

"If you can handle it," Astrid added.

"Wha...I don't even get to blow off heads?!" Snotlout seemed severely disappointed by this news. "What if Mildew comes around and tries to get his filthy mitts on Toothless? Do I get to kill him?"

Hiccup and the others exchanged glances that clearly screamed, Kill himself, more like.

"No," Hiccup replied firmly. "Don't immediately attack him. Remember, Mildew doesn't know I've heard anything and neither does Alvin."

Snotlout sighed, dispirited.

"So, five people, then," Astrid replied.

"We'll think of something," Hiccup told her. "Don't worry."

'I could stand to take my own advice,' Hiccup thought to himself, as his heart squeezed with anxiety.


	7. Chapter 7

After much dispute, it was decided that they would ride their dragons to Berk, because they teens felt a boat would attract too much attention.

"Like airborne dragons won't?" Snotlout muttered sarcastically. He had seemed grumpy ever since he'd received the news that he wouldn't be going with.

"It's better than boats," Astrid replied.

Since Snotlout would not be going, Hiccup was to ride Hookfang, whom he wasn't exactly confident in after seeing how many times he'd set himself on fire while airborne.

It was near midnight when they slipped out of their tents and met at the shore, quietly saddling their dragons.

Toothless and Snotlout watched them as Tuffnut swung one leg over Belch's neck, while Ruffnut did the same with Barf.

Hiccup was just about to get on Hookfang when he heard a voice. "What do you think you're doing?"

Hiccup whipped around to see Stoick, looking angrier than Hiccup had ever seen him, hands on his hips and his brows drawn down.

Hiccup hesitated, meeting the other kids' glances, and turned back to Stoick, a lie ready on his tongue. Instead what

came out was, "I already told you, Dad. If you don't believe me, you don't have to. But we're going to defend Berk."

Stoick glared furiously at them. "Listen," he hissed, "that is enough. Now, I've had it with all this talk of Alvin trying to attack Berk! I wouldn't put it past him, but he doesn't even know we're gone!"

"I've told you," Hiccup replied, "Mildew told him, Alvin is working with him! You just need to listen-"

"No, I've heard enough!" Stoick thundered. "I am ashamed of you! All of you! Listen closely: Not again. This better not happen again or all of you will be in trouble!"

Hiccup glared and opened his mouth to speak.

"No, don't," Stoick snapped. "Just go to your tent. All of you."

He stomped away and all of the teens glanced angrily after him.

Hiccup crossed his arms and stalked back to Toothless. "He'll be on the watch for a while. But he sleeps like the dead, so I'll just check periodically."

His voice was a little too calm, a little too tranquil, for the anger he had displayed.

Snotlout stood, looking down at him. "What are you gonna-"

"I'm going to watch Toothless, of course," Hiccup replied. "I've got to keep an eye on him. You guys can go back to your tents and I'll get you when it's time."

The other teens nodded, but Astrid lingered for a few seconds. "Hiccup..."

"Astrid, you coming?" Ruffnut asked.

"Ruffnut wants you," Hiccup said. "You'd better go."

"Hiccup," she began.

Hiccup looked away.

Astrid sighed and walked to Ruffnut, and Hiccup heard them zipping the flap of their tent and knew he was alone.

He turned to Toothless, stroking the dragon's nose. "I don't understand why my father doesn't believe me." he whispered to himself.

Toothless looked up at him and moaned softly, then glanced longingly at the sky.

Hiccup sighed. "Sorry, bud, but you can't fly yet. Just give it awhile."

Toothless looked annoyed.

Hiccup talked to him for the better part of another thirty minutes until he looked at Toothless and whispered, "Come with me. But be quiet."

Slowly, they walked to the chief's tent, pushing open the flap as quietly as possible.

Stoick was already asleep, and Hiccup slowly backed out again and ran to the others' tents, Toothless on his heels.

He paused by his own to collect Snotlout, who kept smoothing his hair before he realized Astrid wasn't there yet.

Hiccup rolled his eyes and decided to get Ruffnut and Astrid last.

At last, all of the teens were ready to leave.

Snotlout sat down next to Toothless.

Hiccup glanced over at them and felt his stomach tighten with nerves. But he whispered, "It's probably gonna be better if we leave in two separate groups. So, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, and Fishlegs, you guys go first."

Fishlegs nodded and leaped on top of Meatlug.

Ruffnut and Tuffnut silently mounted their Zippleback.

Hiccup, Astrid, and Snotlout watched them as they faded into distant specks in the moonlight.

A few minutes after they had faded from sight, Hiccup swallowed and said, "We'd better go."

Astrid began climbing on Stormfly, and Hiccup on Hookfang.

Once they were up in the air, Hiccup sighed as he remembered the fight with his father.

Astrid glanced at him. "Hiccup, are you okay?"

Hiccup nodded. "Yeah."

They rode in silence for a few more minutes, until Astrid said, "Hiccup, tonight...wasn't your fault."

"I know that," he replied, then decided his tone gave too much evidence to the contrary. He swallowed and tried again. "I know it wasn't my fault, Astrid. Contrary to your belief, I don't go around blaming myself for everything that goes wrong."

His voice had come out sharp and sarcastic, and he couldn't go back and change it.

Astrid glared at him. "I didn't say you did that. You just always seem to act like your father's emotions are your fault."

"But they're not, and I know that!" Hiccup said, his voice rising. He clenched his hands into fists and urged Hookfang on.

Hookfang obeyed, a hundred times more obedient than he usually was.

Hiccup didn't know if Astrid was speaking or not, but didn't care.

They rode in silence, and, as the first few rays of sun began to appear, Berk came in sight.

After a few more minutes of riding, Hiccup felt a sharp pull from below and looked down.

There was a ship and one of the men on it had draped a net over Hookfang and Hiccup, and what looked like half the crew was pulling on the net, pulling them onto the ship.

It was all the Monstrous Nightmare could do to stay up in the air.

Glancing around, Hiccup saw Astrid was out of the ship's reach, but the other half the crew was steering the ship towards her already.

"Go!" Hiccup yelled without thinking. "Go and get help, ok?"

Astrid nodded, and the ship's crew valiantly tried to get to her, but she had not hesitated, for which Hiccup was glad and a little surprised. He had expected her to put up a fight.

At last, the dragon's strength broke, and Hookfang went hurling down toward the ship.

It landed with a loud thump on the deck, and Vikings immediately rushed over to the dragon. Hiccup was sprawled on the deck, and just as he sat up, he saw Alvin the Treacherous walking up to him.

Alvin unsheathed a bent sword. "Welcome, dragon conqueror! We've been expecting you."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hey readers! I hope you like this chapter of my fanfiction. Sorry it took me so long, I got writer's block -_- Anyway, I hope you like it and please review! :) **

* * *

Hiccup gaped. "Wha...Wha..." Not the smartest comeback.

Alvin laughed. "Oh, what false bravado have you this time, dragon conqueror?"

Hiccup stood. "What are you doing?"

"Now that's funny," Alvin said. "I've heard that usually it's the one with the edge who asks the questions and actually expects a response. It's clear you haven't been taught a class on this."

"I never thought I'd need the 'When Your Dragon's Downed by A Certified Idiot' course," Hiccup replied.

Alvin's smirk vanished. "That's enough of that."

"Seriously, just what do you think you're doing here?" Hiccup asked, crossing his arms. "Because really, Alvin, your plans always fail time and again, and I'm starting to think you should retire before you get too humiliated to show your face anymore."

Alvin's fingers twitched, as though he wanted to place them around Hiccup's throat. He resisted, however, and said, "Surely you didn't think you could stop me this time?"

"Well, yeah, actually, I'm surprised I already didn't," Hiccup responded. "Now, if you let me go and give me back my dragon, we can pretend this never happened, and you won't do something you'll later regret."

Alvin just stared for a second, then he burst into laughter, and Hiccup felt annoyed.

It was true that he wasn't tall or buff, the way most Vikings his age were, but he felt that Alvin should get the point that he could do some serious damage.

"You don't even look like you weigh enough to carry out any threat," Alvin said when he'd stopped laughing.

Hiccup glared at him, trying to show he wasn't amused. "I mean it. You can stop now if you want, and we can forget about it. You can leave Berk and my tribe alone, and we will forget everything you've ever done to us."

"Stop?" Alvin smirked. "Dragon conqueror, I've barely started. Just sit back and enjoy the show. It'll be your last," he added under his breath.

He stopped by another member of the crew. "Make sure he's taken care of."

Alvin stalked away after this, and the man he had spoken to proceeded to put Hiccup in handcuffs and, leading him by the chain, take him to a small room below deck.

He locked the door and Hiccup threw himself down on the floor with a groan and mumbled sarcastically to himself, "You did great, Hiccup. Got yourself captured by Alvin the Treacherous again, because one time wasn't enough."

"Hiccup!" There was a squeal from behind him in a voice that Hiccup recognized, but it was a voice that he had never expected to make that sort of sound.

He turned to see Ruffnut speaking, and Tuffnut and Fishlegs were looking surprised.

Hiccup felt the knot of worry in his chest come just a little undone when he saw none of them were hurt.

"Hiccup, we tried to warn you," Tuffnut began. "But there was no way..."

"I know," Hiccup said. "I figured."

"Where's Astrid?" Tuffnut asked.

"They didn't get her," Hiccup replied. "She got away, I think she's getting help."

"She's gonna be too late though," Fishlegs said. "I mean, Alvin's over halfway toward Berk, not to mention after burning everything down he plans to kill us all and most likely throw our bodies into the ocean so nobody has any proof and Mildew's still running around causing trouble and he's most likely going to deny everything Astrid tries to tell people."

Hiccup sank back down to the ground. "I know, Fishlegs. But we can't do anything."

Tuffnut sighed. "Man, this stinks."

"You don't say," Ruffnut said.

Tuffnut opened his mouth to retort, but Hiccup said, "Guys, please. Don't start fighting again."

Tuffnut closed his mouth, and Ruffnut didn't look interested anymore.

And so, for the next two hours they sat there, all showing their restlessness and fear in different ways.

At last, the constant trembling of the ground ceased, and they knew they had arrived.

When an Outcast came and got them, Ruffnut and Tuffnut looked ready to attack him.

Hiccup prayed they'd see sense, and, sure enough, the twins kept their peace.

They climbed out onto the shores of Berk, where they were handcuffed to the anchor of the ship.

Hiccup gaped. "Wha...Wha..." Not the smartest comeback.

Alvin laughed. "Oh, what false bravado have you this time, dragon conqueror?"

Hiccup stood. "What are you doing?"

"Now that's funny," Alvin said. "I've heard that usually it's the one with the edge who asks the questions and actually expects a response. It's clear you haven't been taught a class on this."

"I never thought I'd need the 'When Your Dragon's Downed by A Certified Idiot' course," Hiccup replied.

Alvin's smirk vanished. "That's enough of that."

"Seriously, just what do you think you're doing here?" Hiccup asked, crossing his arms. "Because really, Alvin, your plans always fail time and again, and I'm starting to think you should retire before you get too humiliated to show your face anymore."

Alvin's fingers twitched, as though he wanted to place them around Hiccup's throat. He resisted, however, and said, "Surely you didn't think you could stop me this time?"

"Well, yeah, actually, I'm surprised I already didn't," Hiccup responded. "Now, if you let me go and give me back my dragon, we can pretend this never happened, and you won't do something you'll later regret."

Alvin just stared for a second, then he burst into laughter, and Hiccup felt annoyed.

It was true that he wasn't tall or buff, the way most Vikings his age were, but he felt that Alvin should get the point that he could do some serious damage.

"You don't even look like you weigh enough to carry out any threat," Alvin said when he'd stopped laughing.

Hiccup glared at him, trying to show he wasn't amused. "I mean it. You can stop now if you want, and we can forget about it. You can leave Berk and my tribe alone, and we will forget everything you've ever done to us."

"Stop?" Alvin smirked. "Dragon conqueror, I've barely started. Just sit back and enjoy the show. It'll be your last," he added under his breath.

He stopped by another member of the crew. "Make sure he's taken care of."

Alvin stalked away after this, and the man he had spoken to proceeded to put Hiccup in handcuffs and, leading him by the chain, take him to a small room below deck.

He locked the door and Hiccup threw himself down on the floor with a groan and mumbled sarcastically to himself, "You did great, Hiccup. Got yourself captured by Alvin the Treacherous again, because one time wasn't enough."

"Hiccup!" There was a squeal from behind him in a voice that Hiccup recognized, but it was a voice that he had never expected to make that sort of sound.

He turned to see Ruffnut speaking, and Tuffnut and Fishlegs were looking surprised.

Hiccup felt the knot of worry in his chest come just a little undone when he saw none of them were hurt.

"Hiccup, we tried to warn you," Tuffnut began. "But there was no way..."

"I know," Hiccup said. "I figured."

"Where's Astrid?" Tuffnut asked.

"They didn't get her," Hiccup replied. "She got away, I think she's getting help."

"She's gonna be too late though," Fishlegs said. "I mean, Alvin's over halfway toward Berk, not to mention after burning everything down he plans to kill us all and most likely throw our bodies into the ocean so nobody has any proof and Mildew's still running around causing trouble and he's most likely going to deny everything Astrid tries to tell people."

Hiccup sank back down to the ground. "I know, Fishlegs. But we can't do anything."

Tuffnut sighed. "Man, this stinks."

"You don't say," Ruffnut said.

Tuffnut opened his mouth to retort, but Hiccup said, "Guys, please. Don't start fighting again."

Tuffnut closed his mouth, and Ruffnut didn't look interested anymore.

And so, for the next two hours they sat there, all showing their restlessness and fear in different ways.

At last, the constant trembling of the ground ceased, and they knew they had arrived.

When an Outcast came and got them, Ruffnut and Tuffnut looked ready to attack him.

Hiccup prayed they'd see sense, and, sure enough, the twins kept their peace.

They climbed out onto the shores of Berk, where they were handcuffed to the anchor of the ship.

Alvin smiled. "Ah, how great it is to be back here on Berk."

There was a rushing sound, and Hiccup glanced up at the sky.

Then he smiled, for he saw Astrid atop her Nadder, leading a small group of Vikings.

Alvin started forward, but a loud voice stopped him. "Not so fast, Alvin the Treacherous!"

He glanced up at the noise, to see Stoick on his Thunderdrum.

"We have some unfinished business," Stoick said, landing the Thunderdrum gently.

Alvin gaped. "Wha...You're..?"

"Evidently, there was a plot to burn down my village," Stoick thundered. "Your good friend Mildew told me so."

it is to be back here on Berk."

There was a rushing sound, and Hiccup glanced up at the sky.

Then he smiled, for he saw Astrid atop her Nadder, leading a small group of Vikings.

Alvin started forward, but a loud voice stopped him. "Not so fast, Alvin the Treacherous!"

He glanced up at the noise, to see Stoick on his Thunderdrum.

"We have some unfinished business," Stoick said, landing the Thunderdrum gently.

Alvin gaped. "Wha...You're..?"

"Evidently, there was a plot to burn down my village," Stoick thundered. "Your good friend Mildew told me so."


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hi readers! Sorry this update took me so long, I had a bit of writers block. -_- Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and let me know what you think in the reviews section! **

**Also, I am aware of the fact that the chapters have been "double posting" or "double pasting" as you guys have pointed out in the reviews. I've tried emailing FF about the problem and got no response. Please don't leave a review letting me know that the chapter's double posted or double pasted. I know that it happens. Thanks for letting me know, but now I know. **

**Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this installment and let me know what you think! Happy reading! **

* * *

Alvin's face went almost entirely red from rage. After a few seconds of nothing but teeth gnashing, he looked a little beyond the teens and gave a slight nod.  
Suddenly, Hiccup felt rough hands grip him from behind. Cold metal pressed against his throat, glinting in the winter sunlight.

He swallowed, realizing what had happened.  
Then Alvin's laughter rang out. "Surrender now, Stoick the Vast. Or your son dies."  
Hiccup saw it in Stoick's eyes, that he was listening to Alvin.

"Dad!" Hiccup said, and it came out a kind of strangled cough, the sword was so rough against his neck. "Dad, don't, don't listen to him, Dad..."  
He closed his eyes, knowing he had said it, but he had said it barely loud enough to be heard even by the Outcast behind him.

Stoick took a deep breath and slowly took a step back, towards his Thunderdrum.  
"Yes, that's it..." Alvin hissed. "Just keep going, Stoick..."  
Slowly, all the other Vikings of Berk followed his lead.  
"Don't listen to him!" Hiccup cried, and this time his voice rang out loud and clear.

Stoick's head whipped around to face his son.  
"Dad, don't listen..."  
"Hush," the Outcast behind him intoned, dealing him a sharp blow to the back of the head.  
Hiccup thought he saw stars. "Don't listen, Dad, please..."

All the while, Stoick was leading the other Vikings back to their dragons.  
He began to get on his Thunderdrum, and Alvin laughed, loud and triumphant.

"Dad, please, you can't listen to them!" Hiccup said. "Oh, he's listening," The Outcast with the sword said. His name was Ranok, and he had a love for killing and hurting. Thus, he quickly worked his way to the top and was fast becoming Alvin's second-in-command. He did, however, lack a little something in the brains department.

Hiccup watched in horror as Stoick began taking off into the sky, leading the others back as well.  
Tears of frustration welled up in Hiccup's eyes, and he wanted to scream. Why was no one listening to him? They were putting Berk out there for him!  
That was their home, and he was just one person!

He clenched his hands into fists and watched them fly away.  
From somewhere behind him, Hiccup heard Tuffnut say, "Well, that was over quick."  
Alvin began laughing again, and Hiccup heard laughter from some of the others.  
The Outcast behind him pressed the sword harder into his neck as he chuckled as well, and Alvin's laughter abruptly ceased. "Stop it, you idiot!"

Ranok released Hiccup. "Sorry, boss," Ranok muttered.  
"Keep them all alive, at least until they've seen their pitiful little island burn. Then kill all of the others if you want, but keep the dragon conqueror alive," Alvin instructed, turning away.

Hiccup watched as a single Outcast slowly set the blacksmith shop on fire first. Hiccup looked away as the bright orange flames licked up the sides of the building.  
Ranok and the others watched eagerly until the sad remnants of what had once been a very fine blacksmith forge were all that was left.

Slowly, some of the other buildings went up in flames as well.  
When they took it one step farther, to Hiccup and Stoick's house, Ranok immidiately grabbed Hiccup's arm, as though afraid he would try to stop it.  
But Hiccup only closed his eyes and ignored the sounds of the crackling flames.

There was nothing he could do, no little spark of hope on the horizon. He had no doubt that the Vikings of Berk could rebuild, but Alvin was going to kill Fishlegs and the twins. And, once he was no longer needed, Hiccup would face the same fate at Alvin's grimy hands.

He clenched his hands into fists at the idea, and suddenly fought against Ranok's iron grip.  
Ranok tightened his hold. "Give it up, dragon conqueror." His foul breath was cold on the side of Hiccup's face.  
Hiccup sucked in a breath and slowly exhaled, ceasing the fight. Ranok seemed satisfied, but didn't loosen his grip.

Alvin's eyes raked over the teens, and then he said quietly, "Take them. Take them below deck."  
Ranok grabbed Hiccup by the wrist and led him over to the other teens, but Alvin held up a hand. "Leave the dragon conqueror."  
Ranok nodded silently. He was a man of few words and many fists.  
He shoved Hiccup roughly before Alvin and led the others below deck.

Alvin circled Hiccup slowly, like a vulture sizing up a decaying corpse. "So...the great dragon conqueror. Brought down at last."  
Hiccup swept a sheet of hair out of his eyes and glared furiously at Alvin, but gave no response.  
"You'll tell me how you earned that title, of course," Alvin said.  
"Over my dead body," Hiccup snarled.  
Alvin continued, "I know you think highly of yourself, boy. But on my ship, you'll learn humility..." His fingers reached toward his waist, and he unsheathed a wicked-looking sword, "...by this blade."

Hiccup took a step forward. "You wish, Alvin."  
Alvin bridged the gap between them and grabbed Hiccup's arm roughly. "You will tell me everything you know about dragons..."  
The corners of his mouth turned up slightly, forming a cold smile. "...Eventually."

Hiccup gave no reply. He didn't want to waste his breath on the vile man in front of him any longer.  
"Meanwhile," Alvin continued brightly, still with that icy smile, more like a slight curling of the lip than any grin, "we have plenty of time to get to know each other."

"Let's say I tell you to do something," Alvin started, nearly hissing now. "Like, for instance, tell me all how you got to the point of riding a dragon." "I'll answer to you when hell freezes over," Hiccup told him angrily.

"I thought you'd be difficult at first," Alvin said, eyes sparkling horribly. "But, you see, once you learn the real rules of the game..."  
He trailed off, then picked right back up where he'd left off. "If you refuse to answer to me, well...I might just have to take it out on your little...friends."


	10. Chapter 10

There was a damp chill in the air as Stoick the Vast sat hunched below the dull gray sky. It would rain later, but precipitation was expected in the Archipelago.  
Gobber hobbled up to his friend, his uneven footsteps making muffled thumps in the sand.  
Stoick stared unseeingly out to sea, and eventually tore his eyes away long enough to look at Gobber.  
Gobber twisted his hook around on its base. "Back so soon?"

Gobber and Snotlout were both known for doing idiotic things on the battlefield, and Toothless, of course, was out of commission.  
So Gobber and Snotlout had been forced to stay behind to watch over Toothless - who did not appear to appreciate being baby-sat - and keep an eye on Mildew, who no one trusted enough to let him travel back to Berk with the warriors.

So Gobber remained unaware of what had gone down, as Stoick and the others had only just gotten back.  
Stoick's voice was emotionless. "We surrendered."  
Gobber gaped. "What? No Outcast blood was spilled?!" Gobber couldn't help being your typical bloodthirsty Viking at times.

Stoick lifted his gaze to meet his friend's. "Alvin threatened to kill Hiccup. He left me no choice."  
"Oh..." Gobber let out a small breath. With Hiccup's life in the balance, it changed everything for him, and he knew it had done the same for Stoick.  
Stoick looked back out to sea, thinking hard.  
Something in Gobber's brain clicked, and he had an idea.

Now, normally, Gobber's ideas were not the kind you would listen to. That is, you wouldn't listen to any of his ideas if you had even a single brain cell.  
But Stoick the Vast was not known for his intelligence, and Gobber's idea was not as bad as anyone with an ounce of common sense might have thought.  
So, as Gobber told Stoick his idea in a low whisper, Stoick nodded, listening with a small smile.

The wind whipped around the Vikings of Berk as they flew, Stoick leading them on his Thunderdrum.  
Gobber was settled on the Boneknapper he had escaped from so many times, and the warriors of Berk had come with the two.  
Thornado touched gently down upon the pure white sand, and Stoick climbed hastily off him.  
Then he approached the grand building in the very center of the island, and knocked upon the door.

Normally, a Viking of Berk would not knock on the door leading to the Great Hall of this particular tribe, but Stoick came in peace this time, which he did not generally do.  
The door was thrown open by a burly woman, who had an impatient scowl on her face. "Listen, I'm really not ready for another-oh."  
She gave a respectful nod. "Stoick the Vast."

Even on the shores of opposing islands, Stoick's name commanded respect.  
"I've come to see Bertha, and I've come to speak with her in peace," Stoick said, returning the nod.  
"I'll let her know." She replied.  
The woman ran off, back into the building, and when she returned, she had somebody else with her.

A woman who had her hair parted neatly into two braids, and who stood at least a foot taller than Gobber.  
Stoick saw, to his surprise, that the woman was not alone. She had a tiny little girl, barely four feet tall, standing beside her.  
The girl looked remarkably like Astrid, except she was much shorter and smaller, and her hair was long and tangled, whilst Astrid's was short and neat.

Stoick gave a nod of respect. "Bertha."  
Big-boobied Bertha smiled politely, formally. "Stoick the Vast."  
The little blond girl - who could have been Astrid's twin - spoke up. "What's a Hooligan doing on our shores?" She didn't sound angry, just confused.  
"Quiet, Camicazi," Bertha chided. She turned back to Stoick. "What brings you to Bog-Burglar Isle?"

"I...I have a request," Stoick said quietly. "It concerns Alvin the Treacherous."  
Bertha looked slightly surprised and Camicazi stiffened.  
Bertha spoke in a low voice. "Come quickly, Stoick."  
Everyone followed Bertha back into the Great Hall, where they spent the next three hours going over the plan.  
"Sounds good," Camicazi said excitedly, her fingers straying longingly toward her sword hilt.

Camicazi was like Stoick, in a way: She loved the thrill of the battle. Astrid looked pointedly at her and said, "Let's go over the plan one more time."  
Camicazi rolled her bright blue eyes, so much like Astrid's, and sat back down. "We've BEEN going over it, for three hours!"

Stoick ignored her as he and Bertha began talking to their own tribes in hushed voices. "Here's what you do." 


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Oh my gosh. I am so sorry! I finished this fanfiction already but I keep forgetting to post it. Thank you all for waiting (patiently or impatiently) for the next chapter. Hope you all like it! Thank you for giving your time to read and review this story on the first ten chapters.**

* * *

Hiccup had read stories where it said: "So-and-so's blood ran cold." He never realized it could actually happen before now.  
"You wouldn't dare," His voice shook due to anger.  
Alvin laughed. "Oh, dragon conqueror, I would dare," he replied. "I won't let any harm come to your friends...if you cooperate."

Hiccup let out a long breath. Alvin's voice left no room for arguments, and Hiccup knew he could not let Fishlegs and the twins die because of him.  
He stared at the floor of the deck, defeated. "Okay."  
"What was that?" Alvin snapped.

Hiccup raised his head to look Alvin in the eye. "If you promise not to hurt my friends, I'll do whatever you want."  
Alvin gave that awful, cold smile again.

* * *

"There!" Bertha hissed, pointing to a small speck in the ocean. She rode atop Thornado with Stoick.  
They flew closer to the speck, closer, closer...they hit the water gently, barely making a splash.  
Thornado had been bred for both sea and land, so he floated gently in the water, keeping Stoick and Bertha afloat.

"Where's Camicazi?" Bertha demanded, but suddenly she heard a shout: "Intruders! Intruders!"  
The voice was a low hiss, like the sound a snake might produce if it could speak.  
Bertha and Stoick listened anxiously, and they heard a scuffle, a yelp, and a thud.  
Everything was going according to plan.

* * *

"Intruders!" shrieked a voice at the top of her lungs, scuttling out onto the deck on all fours. "Intruders!"  
Hiccup backed away a little upon seeing the speaker. She was old, very old. Her long white hair shimmered, falling to the floor of the deck, the color of moonlight.  
Her eyes were the same color, pale and milky.

Hiccup knew she was not someone to cross, and definitely not someone he would like to get to know.  
Alvin looked ready to kill. "And you left them where they were?!" "Ranok was there," the woman pointed out.  
The woman and Alvin exchanged glances that clearly said, Ranok isn't the brightest bulb in the package, though.

Alvin hastily ordered several other Outcasts to go below deck, after the unwelcome visitors.  
The Outcasts scrambled down below deck, and the woman stood up straight. "Oh. You managed to get the dragon conqueror."  
"Who are you?" Hiccup demanded, his hands shaking slightly.  
This woman made his heart beat fast with fear, and he did not like the feeling.

The woman spread her hands wide. "You know me, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III. You may not know me now but somwhere, I am your worst enemy."

* * *

Fishlegs was worried.  
After all, Hiccup had been up there with Alvin for a very long time, and he hadn't heard anything except that creepy woman's shout about intruders.  
Ranok had run from the room, searching for the intruders, leaving Fishlegs and the twins alone.  
There was a noise from the corner of the room and a small blonde girl appeared.

For a moment, Fishlegs could've sworn it was Astrid, but this girl was much too short. And much too loud.  
"C'mon!" she said, as though she were the admiral and the rest of them were petty officers. She grabbed a ring of keys from her belt, undid the twins' handcuffs, and went over to undo Fishlegs'.  
Fishlegs found her much prettier than Astrid, though the two resembled each other down to a tee.

The girl pulled away from him, meeting his eyes. "What?"  
Fishlegs dropped his gaze. "Who are you?"  
The girl said, "Guys, up on your feet, let's get out of here!"  
Everyone else ran for it.

Fishlegs stayed behind. "Wait! What about Meatlug? And Hiccup?"  
"Oh, for Thor's sake!" The girl cried. "Where is he?"  
"She," Fishlegs corrected. "And...I don't know. I don't know what Alvin did with our dragons. But Hiccup's up on deck with Alvin."  
The girl rolled her eyes and said, "Then fine, we'll get the dragons later, just go!"

"What if we can't-"  
"Hustle!" The little blonde, bossy girl said in a half-whisper, half-shout.  
Fishlegs gave up and pelted after the twins, who seemed not to have given their Zippleback a second thought.  
"I still don't know who you are," he told the girl as he ran.

She stopped at the side of the ship. "I'm a woman of mystery." Then she threw herself into the water.  
Fishlegs gaped. She sprang back up, like a cork in a bottle, being held up by something.  
Fishlegs realized it was a dragon, and his eyebrows flew up. This was something you didn't see every day.  
"Hey!" the girl said in a loud whisper. "Get down here."

"What?" Fishlegs demanded. Too bad she was so attractive, he thought moodily. He had to meet the physcho-paths of the bunch.  
"Jump!" she called quietly. "Stormfly will catch you."  
Stormfly? Astrid's dragon was down there?

Well, Fishlegs trusted Stormfly.  
He pitched himself over the side of the boat, into the ocean.  
"Good job," said a voice from below him. With a gasp, Fishlegs looked down and saw a beautiful, bright gold dragon blinking her great greenish-yellow eyes up at him.

He was rendered speechless, as it had clearly been the dragon who had spoken. Fishlegs thought he recognized the breed, but couldn't think what it was. The panic and terror of the moment had turned his normal 'walking dragon dictionary' into a panicking mass.  
"Who are you?" he demanded of the blonde girl in front of him, though he had meant to remark on her speaking dragon.  
She turned around, her bright blue eyes meeting his brown ones. "My name is Camicazi."

Finally, Fishlegs thought, a straight answer.  
They sped on, the strange golden dragon underwater, as dragons could go as long as twenty to thirty minutes without breathing until they began to feel the need to inhale.

"Why did you come here?" Fishlegs asked her.  
She looked back at him. "I'll tell you everything in a few minutes."

"What about Hiccup? What will happen to him?"  
"I said," Camicazi continued, "in a few minutes."

* * *

Hiccup heard a commotion from below deck, and Outcasts spilled out.  
In the chaos, he saw a short blonde girl leap into the sea, followed by Fishlegs.  
Seeing the blonde girl made Hiccup feel an odd flutter of recognition, as though he should know her, like she was an old friend who had died or moved away, a friend whose name Hiccup had forgotten.

He saw Ruffnut dive off the side of the ship, and, as Tuffnut made to follow, the strange white-haired woman grabbed his ankle and jerked him back onto the ship.  
He kicked out savagely, getting her nose, and dived in after his sister.  
The woman recoiled, holding her nose, and, when she took her hands away, Hiccup saw blood dripping steadily from it.

It was silly, but the blood surprised him. The woman's skin was colorless, and so pale she had appeared practically bloodless to Hiccup.  
But he had bigger problems than the old woman.  
Alvin was shrieking at the top of his lungs about the other teens' escape.

The Outcasts gathered from what they could understand that Alvin was none too pleased with them, so they bowed low and gave stumbling apologies.  
Alvin screamed, "Well, don't just stand there! AFTER THEM!" The Outcasts nodded and immidiately went over the side of the ship.

Hiccup heard splashes as they hit the ocean.  
Please, he prayed, let my friends be safe.

* * *

Camicazi hissed, "Oh, this is not good. Fishlegs, do you see anything?"  
"Water," Fishlegs replied sarcastically. "Sea foam. A dragon below us. You. The big fat Outcasts following us."  
"What?" Camicazi shrieked, glancing behind her.  
"Water. Sea f-" Fishlegs began to repeat, and Camicazi elbowed him in the stomach.

Fishlegs groaned, and Camicazi hissed, "Be quiet. Pretend you don't see them."  
"Well, with you gawking like you just did-" Fishlegs began, but Camicazi said, "Shh!"  
Fishlegs shut up.  
The Outcasts were soon nearly upon them, and Fishlegs hissed, "Camicazi! They're gaining on us, we've got to-"

"Fly!" Camicazi said to her dragon, and the dragon spread her great golden wings and took to the air.  
The dragon was a sight to see in the air, swooping and diving and sparkling bright gold like a second sun.  
They touched down upon an island, an island Fishlegs didn't recognize.  
"Mom," Camicazi said, sliding easily off the golden dragon, "Mom, there are Outcasts following us, no way can we-"

"Camicazi," a woman interrupted her, running to meet her and smoothing down her tangled blonde hair. "How many are there?" she continued in a harder voice.  
Fishlegs glanced back. "Roughly the entire crew."  
Fishlegs realized that the woman was Bertha, the chief of the Bog-burglars, an all-female tribe near Outcast Island. Bertha's expression hardened. "Where are those Bashem-Oiks?"

"Bashem-whatsits?" Fishlegs asked.  
"Bashem-Oiks," Camicazi replied, as Bertha didn't seem to be hastening to explain. "Another tribe that agreed to help us."  
Fishlegs realized Stoick the Vast was there, too, looking out over the ocean.  
Stoick suddenly spoke. "Quickly. Get ready, the Outcasts are almost here."

Indeed, the faint splashing was not quite so faint anymore, and Fishlegs saw that the Outcasts were no longer almost there, they were there.  
One of them pulled himself up onto the shore. Ranok, in all his wet, bloodthirsty glory, surveyed the four Vikings.  
Suddenly, there was a noise from behind them and a dragon carrying Ruffnut, Tuffnut, and a red-haired Bog-burglar landed on the island.

They came to stand beside the others, facing the Outcasts.  
Ranok and Alvin's other men charged.  
The Vikings of Berk and Bog-burglar Isle were outnumbered, but that didn't stop them from throwing themselves into the fight with savage glee.

Camicazi took down five Outcasts at once, humming merrily, and neatly side-stepped Ranok's sword.  
There was a loud thump and a voice behind them said, "Did we miss all the fun?"  
Camicazi chanced a glance behind her to see a Bashem-Oik on a Scauldron that carried three other Bashem-Oiks, along with two Thunderdrums, and a Snaptrapper.

The Bashem-Oiks had been the second tribe (after the Hooligans, of course) to make peace with the dragons, and the Bog-burglars had been next.  
Which explained the Bashem-Oiks riding in on dragons, which most hadn't really expected.  
The Snaptrapper carried three or four Bashem-Oiks, and Stoick could see his son, gripping one of the necks and clearly soaked.

An Outcast named Magnus took advantage of Stoick's momentary distraction to punch him in the jaw.  
Stoick turned around, ignored the pain and went back into the fight. The Bashem-Oiks and Hiccup leapt off the dragons and joined the fight eagerly.  
One Bashem-Oik barely missed Ranok's sword, crashing into Camicazi, who disappeared for a few moments but reappeared, eagerly striking up a sword fight with Ranok.

She easily defeated him, sending his sword flying in a magnificent arc.  
Astrid saw the sword coming for her and leaped out of the way, sending her axe flying at Ranok and killing him instantly.  
"Good shot!" Camicazi called.

"Thanks," Astrid panted, kneeling over to catch her breath, which was a mistake. Another Outcast took the opportunity to send his dagger flying at her back.

"Behind you!" Camicazi, Ruffnut, and Fishlegs all yelled at exactly the same time.  
Astrid got the hint and ducked.  
Grabbing her axe out of Ranok's limp body, Astrid resurfaced, striking up a fight with the Outcast who had thrown the dagger.  
Meanwhile, an Outcast had thrown Hiccup to the ground, and the boy scrambled away before the Outcast could make the fatal shot.

He grabbed Ranok's discarded sword off the ground. He had never used a sword before, but at least it was a weapon.  
Fishlegs and the twins, meanwhile, had their own problems.  
Fishlegs could hear the faint sounds of a ship's horn, which meant somebody else was coming. And unless Camicazi had mentioned a third tribe to help the Hooligans, Fishlegs had a feeling this was very bad news.

"Guys..." Fishlegs said. Nobody heard.  
Except...  
Camicazi threw herself down on the ground, narrowly avoiding a well-aimed dagger by a particularly ferocious and ugly female Outcast. "Guys..." she heard Fishlegs mumble, sounding terrified.

She leaped up to stand beside him. "What?"  
"Is it just me, or is that a ship coming toward the island?"


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Well, this is the last chapter. I hope you all enjoy it. It doesn't have the happiest ending ever, but who cares? They just suffered a battle with the Outcasts, Hysterics, and Murderous. **

**Well, goodbye :-) Please leave a review and tell me what you think of the story! **

* * *

"Beard of Thor!" Camicazi exclaimed. "So it is."

And then she added cheerfully, "Hope it's our side!"  
Then she threw herself back into the battle, without a backward glance at the ship.  
Fishlegs and Camicazi were very different in this way: She was not a worrier by nature, so if something bad could possibly happen, she refused to allow herself to dwell on it.  
Fishlegs seemed to have been born worrying.

Fishlegs kept looking at the ship, and an Outcast grabbed him from behind and jerked him to the ground.  
Just when he thought it was the end, that Outcast went crumpled and slid off Fishlegs.  
Fishlegs looked around to see Astrid, with her fist reared back.  
"Watch your back, Fishlegs," she advised, running forward to finish the Outcast off. "I might not be here to save your bacon next time."

Fishlegs took the advice to heart and scampered off. Astrid was perfectly capable of handling an unconscious Outcast on her own.  
The ship, meanwhile, drew closer and closer to the island, and if any of the fighters had thought to look, they would have recognized the ship and prepared themselves.  
But nobody thought to look.

And that could have been why the tide turned against the Hooligans and the Bog-burglars and the Bashem-Oiks after the ship landed on the island.

The ship docked on the island.  
Alvin smiled as he began to climb down.  
All the fights had paused, staring with horrified eyes as many men and women streamed out of the ship.  
The Hooligans, even with the help of the Bog-burglars and the Bashem-Oiks, were horribly outnumbered.

Alvin jerked his sword out of his scabbard. "Surrender now, and no one need get hurt."  
He had them, and he knew it. Oh, how he had dreamed of this day, how he had plotted and schemed, analyzing every detail, making sure it was flawless and fail-proof.  
But there are no guarantees. There never are.

The men and women had come from the Murderous and Hysteric Tribes. (And when interviewed by the author, the Hysterics admitted that Alvin had arranged much of this beforehand, though he did not count on needing the two tribes so desperately.)

Hiccup stared on in horror as the Murderous and Hysteric tribes streamed onto the island, facing the already battle-weary warriors.  
But the Hooligans were nothing if not determined, so they threw themselves onto the new tribes with vigor, while the Bog-burglars helped, and the Bashem-Oiks tackled the dumbstruck Outcasts, who were just now coming to terms with the fact that they had been replaced. (Most Outcasts were not very bright, I'm afraid.)

Meanwhile, there was a man, sneaking through the battle, only out for himself. His name was Mildew.

A particularly talented female Murderous sent her axe flying at Astrid's back.

Hiccup grabbed her by the hand and jerked her down, the blade soaring over their heads.

Astrid sat back up. "Thanks Hic-"  
Her thanks was cut short by a cry of pain and surprise.  
The knife had lodged itself between another man's shoulder blades, and a dark red stain was rapidly spreading over the back of his shirt.

He turned around, and Hiccup saw shock and horror in his eyes, just before he slumped forward and floated gently down into the water.  
And the Sullen Sea ran red with Mildew's blood that day.

But life goes on, and the battle continued, ignoring the old man's death.  
Hiccup picked himself up, and saw Alvin's sword coming down to meet him. He still gripped Ranok's sword in his left hand, so as his hands flew up, his sword met Alvin's, and the sound of metal-on-metal sliced through the air.

Alvin looked a bit surprised when he saw Hiccup knew what he was doing with that sword. In truth, Hiccup was a little surprised, too. He had tried his hand at sword fighting before, but had never been very good, though this could be due to the fact that Gobber taught him with his right hand instead of his left, which was his dominant one.  
Astrid and Camicazi fought side-by-side, Camicazi with her sword and Astrid with her axe. They could've been identical twins.

The white-haired woman from the ship stepped in front of Astrid and Camicazi, the last Outcast (besides Alvin) fighting. All the others were too injured to continue, or dead.  
But little by little, the Hooligans, the Bog-burglars and the Bashem-Oiks were driving the Murderous and Hysterics back, despite the difference in number.  
"Hiccup!" Astrid hollered.

Hiccup looked behind him to see an axe flying through the air behind him, heading straight for him. He threw himself on the ground, and Tuffnut deftly caught the axe by its hilt.  
Hiccup stood again, and saw Alvin had been unable to take advantage of the moment, as he had been attacked by tiny little Camicazi, and now focused on the sword fight with her.  
It was considered the dirtiest trick in the Archipelago to attack when your opponent wasn't looking, and Hiccup refrained from doing just that to Alvin.

Instead, he spent a few minutes sizing up the fight, trying to decide whether or not Camicazi needed any help. Try as he might to suppress it, he couldn't help the feeling that he was looking at Astrid the Second.  
He shook off those thoughts, but he'd wasted too much time debating on whether or not to gang up on Alvin with Astr-Camicazi, he forced himself to call her in his head.

A Hysteric had taken full advantage of Hiccup's turned back, and grabbed him around the neck, pinning him down. Her rancid breath was hot on Hiccup's face as she knelt, panting, over Hiccup, her strong hands on the boy's shoulders to prevent him from getting up.  
Another Hysteric rushed forward to help finish the boy off. There was a yell, and then, "Nobody messes with my apprentice!"

Hiccup looked up to see Gobber, in a fierce duel with the Hysteric who had been about to kill Hiccup.  
Hiccup glanced at the Hysteric who had pinned him. The woman's name was Grumbalt, and she was uglier than the child of a Gronckle and a Monstrous Nightmare.  
She was looking at the fight between her partner and Gobber, and Hiccup reared his fist back and punched her as hard as he could.

It didn't hurt Grumbalt that badly, as Hiccup did not have enough strength to hurt somebody with a single punch, but it was enough so that she momentarily released Hiccup, who was up in an instant.  
Gobber fought fiercely with the other Hysteric, his axe against the man's spear.  
Grumbalt saw that Hiccup had taken the chance to run off, as he knew he could not take her alone.  
She turned and helped the other Hysteric take on Gobber, giving up completely on the dragon conqueror. He was short, and he was weak, but he was dang fast.

Gobber suddenly went down beneath a pile of Hysterics.  
Stoick was holding his own against seven Murderous, but he was growing weary fast.  
Ruffnut and Tuffnut stepped in to help him, and the tide turned.  
Meanwhile, it could not be ignored that, while Camicazi was a superb sword fighter, she was only thirteen years old, on the small side, and already a bit tired from her last fight, not to mention she was fighting a fully grown man.

All this pointed to the fact that Camicazi was losing the duel, and Fishlegs threw his bludgeon directly at the man. It got him full in the face and he doubled over, groaning in agony.  
The Hysterics had been beaten back, but the Murderous seemed able to keep fighting all night.  
Stoick had already downed almost one hundred men and women on his own, but there was no ignoring that there was always more to take their place.

Camicazi held her sword high above Alvin's head. "Call off the Murderous and Hysterics, and maybe I'll let you live."  
Alvin's pride had taken a thorough beating that day. First, that smart-aleck dragon conqueror had sassed him too many times for his liking, three quarters of his tribe was dead, and now a little blonde girl was threatening to kill him. It was humbling, to say the least.

Blood streamed from Alvin's face, and Fishlegs saw that blood ran out of an empty eye socket.  
He swallowed. Alvin looked at Camicazi with his one good eye and knew she meant business. "Madguts!" he hollered. "Stop the fight!"  
Madguts, the chief of the Murderous tribe, quit beating one of the Hooligans to a bloody pulp and sighed, disappointed.  
Alvin called again. "All of you! Stop it! Stop fighting!"

The Hysterics were crazy, but not crazy enough to disobey an Outcast. They quickly ceased the fights, and slowly, the Murderous followed suit.  
"Good," Camicazi said, her sword point still perfectly steady above Alvin's head. "Now go back to your respective homes and leave the people of Berk, the people of Bog-Burglar Isle, and the Bashem-Oiks alone. And then, and only then, will I allow you to scrape your sorry butt off this sand, and live."

Definitely a humbling experience for Alvin.  
So, slowly, the opposing tribes backed off and went for the ship.  
"I'll allow you to live and fight another day," Camicazi said, taking her sword point out from above Alvin's head and using it instead to gently prod Alvin in the back to his ship. "But you better not take that day to fight us."

* * *

It had not just been the opposing tribes to suffer losses.  
There was a death toll to be taken after the battle.  
The Hooligans had taken brutal hits: Gobber was missing, for one. For a moment, it was thought that he was dead, but no one could find a body and no one could say if he had died or not. Hiccup found he could speak through his numb horror as the talk turned to what might have happened to Snotlout and Mildew who were completely defenseless on the deserted island. Not that anybody much cared what happened to Mildew.

"Mildew's dead," Hiccup said quietly. "I saw it." He pressed his lips together, and looked back at the ground, and Stoick got the hint that his son was saying no more.  
It came out later that Spitelout, Snotlout's father, was dead, along with Mulch and seventeen others.  
Snotlout had not been there. He had stayed to watch over the island, Mildew, and Toothless.  
Hiccup looked at Spitelout's limp body and closed his eyes. Spitelout had been his uncle, and Stoick's brother.  
Stoick put up a good front, though, and Hiccup remembered the phrase he had beaten into Hiccup's head: A chief must be a leader first, and a man second.

Spitelout had been a good man, and an irreplaceable warrior.  
It was a quiet, somber group that sailed back to the island that day.  
Snotlout saw them coming, and jumped up.  
Stoick took him somewhere private to tell him the news of his father.  
Hiccup did not see him again.

He sat in his tent, packing up his sleeping bag and notebook. His heart hurt suddenly and he thought, Gobber, where are you? You can't die now. He heard footsteps, but did not look up.  
"So..." Astrid said quietly. "It's been..."

Hiccup did not try to help her in her search for the right word.  
Then, before he could do anything, Astrid was closer than before, and her lips were on his.  
Hiccup was too surprised to respond, just like the last two times she had done this.

Camicazi is nothing like her, Hiccup thought.

* * *

They left the island the very next morning. Hiccup hadn't seen Snotlout since Stoick had taken him aside to tell him what had happened to Spitelout.  
When he saw him, he sat beside him. There was a long silence.

"I'm sorry about your father," Hiccup said quietly. "He left the way he would've wanted to."  
Snotlout didn't reply, just stared blankly down at the deck of the ship. Hiccup knew there was nothing more he could say.  
Finally, Snotlout said, "Yeah. That's what everyone says. I'm sorry. Well, 'I'm sorry' can't bring him back."

Hiccup sat there silently. He knew Snotlout needed someone to listen instead of talk. And he was willing to do that. The idea of losing his own father was terrifying. Snotlout pulled his helmet down lower on his head. "Are you just gonna sit there like a bump on a log?"  
"I'm listening," Hiccup said quietly. "If you need someone."

"Well, newsflash, I don't," Snotlout sneered. "So skedaddle if you want. Shake off your pity for the orphan." (Technically speaking, Snotlout was only a half orphan, but his mother had left shortly after he was born. She had not kept in contact with her son.) Hiccup nodded, but stayed where he was.

They arrived back on Berk, and looked around at the destruction.  
Stoick took a deep breath. "Time for some rebuilding."

And two weeks later, nearly everything was rebuilt.  
Stoick put a hand on Hiccup's shoulder. "It looks good, doesn't it?"  
Hiccup nodded. "Yeah."  
If only Gobber or Spitelout were here to appreciate it, Hiccup thought to himself.

He had tried forcing himself to feel upset over Mildew's fate, but he felt only guilt that he didn't feel anything at all. Even then, he had nearly forgotten Mildew in the face of the other dead.  
He shook off those thoughts and glanced over at Snotlout, who was standing ramrod straight, lips pressed together.  
Astrid stood beside Snotlout, her face turned toward the sunlight.  
Ruffnut and Tuffnut, Tuffnut's arm in a cast, stood there, expressionless.  
Fishlegs seemed to be a million miles away as he stared at the newly rebuilt Great Hall.

Berk was back.  
But the people, Hiccup knew, were different. They were more battered, more bruised than before, sadder, weighed down with grief.  
Berk was not entirely back. Because the people weren't.  
Maybe someday they'd come back for good.


End file.
